Langlands stadium plans under threat

After three years of negotiations with South Lanarkshire Council over the site at Langlands, East Kilbride Community Trust has tabled a new offer of £175,000 for the land to build a purpose-built, state-of-the-art, football/sports stadium and a second 3G pitch.

Failed attempts to acquire a vacant piece of land are jeopardising an East Kilbride charity’s plans for a multi-million pound football stadium and sports hub in the town.

After three years of negotiations with South Lanarkshire Council over the site at Langlands, East Kilbride Community Trust has tabled a new offer of £175,000 for the land.

And while the Trust say it is almost unprecedented for a charity to have to pay for publicly-owned land to provide such an ambitious community facility, council bosses have rejected their bid.

Part of the land, previously earmarked for Rolls-Royce’s long-abandoned plans to build a new plant in the town, forms a small, but integral, part of the Trust’s £17million proposals.

Requiring no public funds, the Trust’s plans include a purpose-built, state-of-the-art, football/sports stadium and a second 3G pitch.

These facilities would sit alongside the boxing arena and a multi-use sports hall for netball, tennis and basketball, refused by planning bosses for the charity’s K-Park Training Academy at Calderglen.

The Trust say, in addition to creating hundreds of jobs during construction, the sports and community facility will lead to dozens of jobs in the longer term.

Assurances, they say, have been given to the council that the facility would remain in the ownership of the charity, with community benefit the overriding purpose behind its use.

A spokesman for the Trust said: “We have been urging the council for three years to let us get ahead with this exciting project for a community stadium in East Kilbride.

“The land we have asked for has lain vacant and unsold for many years and East Kilbride has an over-supply of this type of industrial land.

“In recent weeks we have tried to gauge councillor support for the project and we are asking the Scottish Government to put their weight behind us, given the massive benefits this stadium will bring to the town.”

That has held little sway with council officials and Michael McGlynn, head of planning and building standards, said: “The council has received correspondence from lawyers representing developers making a bid for the land.

“Certain conditions are attached to the site by the European Commission which must be met by any potential purchaser.”

“The developers and their lawyers are aware of these conditions.

“However, the offer submitted was not acceptable as it did not meet these conditions in terms of value, use and the overall master plan of the surrounding area.

“Notwithstanding this, the council remains open to discussion of the proposal.”